Jobs, grant opporunities, and new businesses! Read this week's ROOST News: http://bit.ly/2bDXZbN.

Marc Galvin is a fan of all that ROOST does throughout the North Country, so he was pleased to join the ROOST Board of Directors last year. Since he began, he and other board members came to the realization that they need to put in time working on the board’s various committees, so full board meetings could be for giving reports on what the committees are doing rather than getting bogged down in details. Marc sits on the board’s Finance and Governance committees. In the Finance Committee, he and his fellow members are working on creating a simplified financial statement that will be easier to understand. The Governance Committee is focused on filling in some holes on the board at the moment, as well as making sure the board is in compliance with confidentiality agreements and that they are maintained each year. As co-owner of the Bookstore Plus on Lake Placid’s Main Street and past president of the Lake Placid Business Association, Marc feels like he helps, along with board President Mike Beglin, give the Lake Placid retail community a voice on the board. Marc grew up in Syracuse, regularly visiting the Adirondacks with his family. “I always knew this was where I wanted to be,” Marc said. He moved to the area right out of high school and earned a wilderness recreation degree at North Country Community College, then stayed and taught there for a few years. Marc met his wife Sarah during that time. For a little while, they moved away to work for the Container Store, which is regularly listed as one of the best companies to work for in the country. The couple learned a lot from the company’s employee-first policy. They moved back to the Adirondacks, and decided to take over the bookstore Sarah grew up in. Her parents, Nancy and Chris Beattie, opened the business in 1973, expanding in 1978. And in 2006, they started to transition the business to Sarah and Marc, with the Galvins taking over completely in 2007. They split the duties of running the store, with Sarah focusing on buying books for kids and young adults, and Marc focusing books for adults. As the book industry has been changing, they are working on making sure they change with the times, moving some of their business online. They have also focused on holding events to draw people into the store, from book signings, to Skype sessions with authors, to craft and story events for kids. Main Street is changing too. As the area moves more toward eateries, Marc said he wants to make sure the shopping district maintains a good balance between restaurants and bars, lodging, and shopping places, which will encourage people to continue to come back to Lake Placid and the Adirondacks.

Marketing to millennials, learning labor laws, and reducing energy costs - lots to learn in this week's ROOST News! ROOST

James Lemons joined the ROOST board in 2015, and he currently chairs the board's Governance Committee. We asked him some questions to get to know him a little better: 1) Why were you interested in getting involved in the ROOST board? As the executive director of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, I know first-hand of the amazing generosity of the people who live and work in the area. Without the support of our community, we would not have been able to see the tremendous growth we have experienced over the last three years, including a 40 percent increase in our operating budget and serving an additional 15,000 people each year. Our organization relies upon the generosity and service of others – and it is only fair to return that kindness by service to another organization. ROOST plays an integral role in making our entire region prosper, and I am happy to help in any way I can. 2) What have your impressions been of the organization and the board since you've been on it? What surprised me the most when I joined the board is the sheer number of activities that ROOST is involved with that help promote our region. It is easy to look at the huge events like Ironman, but almost every week there is something that ROOST is focusing on that is working to bring people to visit. During any week, they might be promoting an event in Tupper or distributing a series of blogs that promote all of the fantastic places to hike. They are always working to promote the region and share how great the Adirondacks are all year long. 4) Tell me about your background. I grew up on a small farm in Texas. After school I moved to Dallas, where I spend 10 years helping to run a professional theatre. There I directed more than 40 plays and musicals and learned the ins-and-outs of how a nonprofit runs. After Dallas, I moved to Florida, where I managed the construction of a $7.5 million renovation of a 100-year-old theatre and the creation of two additional theatre spaces. Over the past 15 years, I’ve experienced working at nonprofits that were both very large and very small. And I have seen how nonprofits can actively change a community and make them an even better place to live and work. 5) Where do you see yourself as fitting in in terms of representing voices on the ROOST board? At present, I represent the nonprofit community on the ROOST board. As a community, we don’t always do the best job of talking about our economic impact on a community. But the North Country has many nonprofits — from performing and visual arts to health and human services. All of our nonprofits contribute to the overall health of the community and give people a reason to visit the region. I see that impact directly at the LPCA. At almost every performance, we have someone who has traveled to the region to see a performance or take a class, and those people spend money at local shops, restaurants, and hotels. Our nonprofit community is a huge economic drive for the region, and I’m proud to be a voice for that success.